


Bad dreams

by morporkian_hobbit



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Violence, it's in a dream so it doesn't count, lupin just loves his samurai, protective goemon, tagging this as lupgoe but they aren't really together they're just pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:08:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29580024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morporkian_hobbit/pseuds/morporkian_hobbit
Summary: Goemon’s eyes snapped open in the dark. There was a sliver of grey light on the floor, cast by the door that had just clicked open.“Lupin? Is there a problem?”Silence fell, and he was about to repeat his question, when the thief’s voice finally rose.“I had a nightmare.”
Relationships: Ishikawa Goemon XIII/Arsène Lupin III
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	Bad dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Part IV said Lupin doesn’t dream. I say bullshit to that.  
> This whole thing stemmed from the idea that Lupin (and Jigen tbh) is a complete sucker for being held in Goemon's Big Strong Protective Arms (me? projecting? nooooo...). Enjoy!

The skies shouldn’t be so blue. Not in a moment like this. Lupin could feel it in his chest, a terrible pressure building up, like storm clouds gathering far away and inside him at the same time. Why were Jigen and Goemon so oblivious to it? Perhaps because they were too busy emptying the vault of all its shining jewels and heavy wads of banknotes while giggling like children. Lupin tore his eyes away from the window and joined them. He tried to convince himself that he was wrong. He couldn’t.

They were running through the winding corridors. Footfalls echoed against the walls with a strangely metallic sound, so many, too many feet following them, gaining on them. Lupin could swear they had passed by this window twice already. The map of the mansion was becoming blurry in his head, rearranging like the corridors were. They couldn’t be. They had to be. No… Outside, the sky was turning grey, a dull colour that weighed on the horizon and on Lupin’s chest. In front of him, Jigen turned around for just a second and fired a few shots at their pursuers, while Goemon pressed their leader on. Faster. They had to run faster. But his body felt like it was made of lead. Still, he had to press on. For them.

The light at the end of the tunnel was the headlights of dozens of police cars. Lupin stopped dead in his tracks under the greying sky. His partners stopped too, and immediately positioned themselves to protect him. Above them, the sky was turning to lead, heavy clouds rushing in to fill the empty space, and Lupin could feel them pressing inside his head too. The first gunshot tore through the shouts and the engine roars, instantly parried by Goemon’s sword. The second one came from Jigen. After that…

Lupin was keeping his eyes open as wide as possible, trying with all his might to follow what was happening, despite the pounding of blood in his ears. Goemon’s blade wheezed past his face, cutting in half a bullet that should have killed him. Why hadn’t he seen it coming? Another bullet, another slash, a shout from an officer, the sound of a siren tearing though his head. Megaphone. Shout. Blood pounding. Sirens. Shout.

Ready.

Aim.

Fire.

He could see everything slowing down, could calculate the exact trajectory of each bullet, could predict what Goemon would have to do to avoid it. Could understand that the samurai would never be able to move fast enough. And the thief could not lift a finger. He tried to scream, but something in his throat was blocking the air in.

Goemon fell to the ground. Crimson flowers were blooming on his kimono, and for a second he locked eyes with Lupin.

_Don’t leave me._

Jigen’s shout reached his ears, distorted by the distance and the molasses the thief was trapped in. A shout of warning, then pain, then agony.

He fell.

 _You can’t leave me_.

Lupin could only watch in horror as a red mist started to fill his vision. The pounding in his ears somehow covered the shouts and threats of the armed crowd, as it closed around him. Again, he opened his mouth. A viscous darkness rushed into his throat, killing the scream before it started.

_Don’t leave me!!!_

A sharp breath.

The world faded, leaving only blackness and the pounding in his ears.

///

Goemon’s eyes snapped open in the dark. Years of ruthless training and working in the underworld had taught him that he wouldn’t stay alive very long, unless he could wake up at a second’s notice. He could easily fall asleep in a moving car, or with someone singing off-key in the next room; but the slightest out-of-place whisper would instantly pull him out of Morpheus’ embrace. He may not be quite awake, but he was still perfectly capable of causing some decent damage.

There was a sliver of grey light on the floor, cast by the door that had just clicked open. His hand crept slowly towards the Zantetsuken propped up against his bed, and his eyes darted to the door.

The sliver silently grew larger, framing a well-known lanky silhouette. The tension in Goemon’s shoulders eased slightly, and he let his hand fall limp on the mattress. It wasn’t a threat, only Lupin.

“Goemon?”

The voice was only a whisper, that the samurai wouldn’t have been able to hear if he hadn’t had all his senses on high alert. He propped himself up on one elbow and turned towards the door.

“Lupin? Is there a problem?”

Any remnant of sleep was now gone from his mind. There may not be any imminent threat, but Lupin waking him up in the middle of the night could only mean that something urgent required his assistance.

Silence fell again, for so long that the samurai thought maybe Lupin hadn’t heard him. He was about to repeat his question, when the thief’s voice finally rose again.

“I had a nightmare.”

Lupin was hunched over, and holding his arms around himself, Goemon finally realised with surprise. His half-lidded eyes shone with a silent plea as he looked at his friend. This was such an unusual sight that for a second, the samurai was at loss for words. Then the imperious need to protect his partner came over him like a second nature, and he beckoned him closer.

The door clicked again, and the floorboards creaked under the thief’s naked feet. The mattress dipped slightly with the weight of a new body. Goemon couldn’t help but tense a bit. The situation was slipping away from him – if he ever had it in hand in the first place. But it seemed Lupin already knew what to do, as he dove straight under the covers and huddled himself against the samurai. Their eyes met for just a moment, and Goemon’s heart skipped a beat. There was fear in those eyes, an unspoken terror, that eased ever so slightly as they gazed upon the samurai’s face. Lupin’s skin was boiling hot under the thin layer of his cotton undershirt, yet he was shivering. No, not shivering. Trembling.

Goemon closed his arms around his partner. Slowly, almost as if regretfully, the trembles started to recede. He brought his hand up to run his fingers through the thief’s mess of short-cropped hair, gently kneading his head until every shiver had died down, and Lupin was still again. He could feel the thief’s lips stretch into a smile against his naked skin, and the slight vibration when he hummed softly.

His heart skipped another beat.

Goemon held still, fingers gently stroking his friend’s hair, until Lupin’s breathing became more regular, more appeased. Then he allowed himself a quiet sigh.

///

The burning heat of Lupin’s body was settling down into a gentle warmth, seeping into his bones and melting the tension in his nerves. Here, the darkness was welcoming. He shifted closer to the samurai and buried his face in the crook of his neck. The fog of sleep was already clouding his thoughts; the only clear one left was the feeling of Goemon’s strong arms wrapped around him, protecting him. He smiled hazily. Nothing could get to Lupin. Not here. Not with _him_.

///

Under the light of the moon that was seeping through the blinds, Lupin looked so different. Gone was the cocky criminal mastermind, the charismatic leader with a lopsided grin and a malicious glint in his eyes. In the light of day, Lupin looked like he was the king of the world. Now, huddled in the samurai’s arms, he looked like a child. His tousled hair formed like a halo around his head, and the moonlight softened his features, catching in the peach fuzz that tried to cover his chin. He looked innocent, peaceful, and oh so _vulnerable._ This must be the closest to the real Lupin anyone could ever get. The real Arsène, without the masks and the acts. Sleep was the only time when the thief allowed himself such fragility.

Goemon’s heart ached at that thought. Never had he wanted so badly to protect him. Never had he been so incapable of doing so. He was helpless when the enemies attacking his friend came from inside.

His worries softened a bit as he observed the peaceful face half buried in the covers. At least, he could be here for him. He tried not to think of the softness of the breath on his skin, of the urge to press his lips against Lupin’s, to whisper promises into his ear. That would be going too far. Whatever fear had led the master thief to lay his defences down in front of Goemon, the samurai could not take advantage of it. His own feelings had to remain where they belonged: hidden. He settled for simply planting a feather-light kiss atop Lupin’s mass of tousled hair, then closed his eyes.

Sleep didn’t come until the small hours of morning.

///

Light was tickling Lupin’s face, making his eyelids flutter slightly. He didn’t want to open his eyes though, cosy as he was under heaps of blankets, the warmth of the samurai’s body entangled with his diffusing a comforting heat.

Wait, what??

Lupin’s eyes shot open, then closed once again as they were assaulted by the bright morning light. He grumbled some French curse under his breath at the insensitive sunrays, and curled up on himself. Or tried to, the operation being somehow perturbated by the fact that he was sprawled onto Goemon’s body like a sloth on a branch.

Goemon who was now hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Lupin?” he asked quietly. His breath tickled the thief’s ear, making him shiver.

“Yup, that’s me,” he replied with more confidence than he really had.

“How are you feeling?”

Well, that was a weird question. Was he sick? He didn’t feel sick…

“I just woke up in the same bed as a very handsome and mostly naked man, so I’m feeling just peachy!”

He winked at the samurai, and chuckled internally at the pink glow that covered the young man’s cheeks. Goemon tried to tactfully disentangle his limbs from Lupin’s, and the thief shifted around to help him. In truth, he was just as embarrassed as his friend, only hiding it better. Usually, randomly waking up in someone else’s bed was a result of drunken hook-ups. But this was Goemon. Casual drunk sex with his business partners was out of the question. The samurai had kept watch over him before, when Lupin had been sick, or injured. But he was neither right now. And the thief was fairly certain that he wasn’t a sleep-walker, or his friends would have told him by now.

Goemon’s hand was still on his shoulder, he suddenly realised. He found himself hoping that the samurai wouldn’t take it away.

“I meant, after last night,” Goemon clarified.

Panic briefly overcame the thief. Wait. Had they _actually had sex?_

His friend must have understood what he was thinking about, because he shook his head.

“You had a nightmare.”

… _Ah._

“I’m just fine,” Lupin replied, a tad too drily. His memory of the night was still hazy, but some images were suddenly coming back to his mind. Shouts. Strobing lights. Red. Jigen and Goemon…

He really didn’t need this right now.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Goemon asked softly, and for a second the thief wanted to dive back into his friend’s arms, to once again feel untouchable, invulnerable, protected. He fought it back. _That_ would only make him more vulnerable. And Goemon didn’t need to burden himself with the thief’s feelings for him.

He adjusted his mask and shook his head.

“Nah, it was nothing.”

The samurai didn’t insist, though the look he gave Lupin spoke for him. Lupin shrugged, and swung his legs off the bed, finally leaving the warm comfort of the blankets and of Goemon’s presence. He tried not to think too much about the feeling of shoving his heart back in his throat.

“I’m starving, I need some breakfast,” he declared in his practiced cheerful voice. “I’ll put some tea on.”

The samurai’s voice stopped him as he was about to cross the door.

“If you need me again, I’ll be there.”

He smiled, back turned to his friend.

“Thanks, man.”

_He won’t leave you._


End file.
